SESSION 20 (1) Peer Production in Online Communities – How are communities like Wikipedia and slashdot collectively run? (2) Theorizing peer production – Heavyweight and Lightweight models of collaboration (3) Values, Virtues, and the Ethics of Design – how do we build platforms for different kinds of communities, based on different goals and philosophies?

NETWORKED SOCIABILITY An introduction

ANARCHY? “The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn’t understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.” - Eric Schmidt, Google

ANARCHY? “The Internet is the first thing that humanity has built that humanity doesn’t understand, the largest experiment in anarchy that we have ever had.” - Eric Schmidt, Google Do communities like Wikipedia and slashdot contradict this?

ORDER AND MORALITY? What kinds of work are performed in order to keep online communities orderly (or not)? What is the role of technology in the regulation of activity and discourse in online communities? What kinds of values about order and morality are embedded in the design of social software?

THREE STUDIES Slash(dot) and Burn: Distributed Moderation in a Large Online Conversation Space (Lampe and Resnick, 2004) Articulations of WikiWork: Uncovering Valued Work in Wikipedia through Barnstars (Kriplean et al, 2008) [from earlier in the year] The Work of Sustaining Order in Wikipedia: The Banning of a Vandal (Geiger and Ribes 2010)

ONLINE VS. OFFLINE DISCUSSION FORUMS How are online discussions different from physical discussions?

ONLINE VS. OFFLINE DISCUSSION FORUMS How are online discussions different from physical discussions? Properties of “networked publics:” (boyd 2007) 1. Persistence 2. Searchability 3. Replicability 4. Invisible audiences What other unique challenges arise online?

WHAT ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE?

ONLINE VS. OFFLINE DISCUSSION FORUMS There are many features built into slashdot’s discussion forum software: No comments are deleted, only moderated -1 to 5 scale for comment moderation Meta-moderation to ‘watch the watchers’ Karma to reward good contributors Anonymity possible, but with consequences

WHEN DOES MODERATION WORK? Potential problems with moderation: Which comments receive moderation? Are ‘buried treasures’ uncovered? Do moderation reversals happen? Too much importance on ‘first posts’? How have newer discussion platforms handled this issue differently? Are they better or worse?

WIKIPEDIA AS A WORKPLACE? The different kinds of tasks that Wikipedians are rewarded for performing show us what kind of roles editors play in building the encyclopedia: editing encyclopedia articles mentorship and leadership border patrol administration conflict resolution meta-content tasks

HOW TECHNOLOGY SUPPORTS WORK “Successful online communities have complex cooperative arrangements, articulations of work, and integration practices. They require technical infrastructure to support a broad division of labor.” – Kriplean, Beschastnikh, and McDonald (2008) What kinds of work do barnstars support, and how do barnstars as a technical feature support this?

WIKIPEDIA’S GATEKEEPERS Wikipedians routinely patrol content according to pre-established rules, principles, and procedures. Malicious contributors can be blocked from editing. Administrators exist, and are explicitly granted more authority than ordinary users Tools exist to structure the work of ‘vandal fighting’

THEORIZING PEER PRODUCTION models and values of production

Models vs. Values Models of peer production describe how and in what ways people work and coordinate with each other. Values of peer production refer to the ethical, ideological, or political aspects of how and why people work and coordinate with each other

Models vs. Values Models of peer production describe how and in what ways people work and coordinate with each other. Values of peer production refer to the ethical, ideological, or political aspects of how and why people work and coordinate with each other These two concepts are often quite related!

Light and Heavyweight Models

How are other online platforms differently designed for different models of participation?

Light and Heavyweight Models How are other online platforms differently designed for different models of participation? What different designs would you choose based on your experience of how collaboration takes place in each system?

VALUES? in my design? it’s more likely than you think.

Designing for virtue Two arguments about peer production and virtue in Benkler and Nissenbaum (2006): 1. Wikipedia, Linux, slashdot, etc., are public goods and their existence makes the world a better place 2. But is there something about peer production itself that is good or virtuous, independent of what is produced?

Designing for virtue Does peer production as a system support? Autonomy, Independence, Liberation Creativity, Productivity, Industry Benevolence, Charity, Generosity, Altruism Sociability, Camaraderie, Friendship, Cooperation, Civic Virtue

Values in online platforms Why are the platforms that support slashdot and Wikipedia built the way they are? What values towards anonymity, participation, creativity, and autonomy, etc. are these systems built upon? Are these systems only possible when a community has shared values?

Values in online platforms How are other online platforms differently designed for different values? What different designs would you choose?